metalmaniac777

Pour some ranch on meeeeeee.... Pour some ranch on meeeeeee.... I like it hot, sticky and sweet From my head to my feet Pour some ranch on meeeeeee...

Na-na-na-na...hey-hey...here's the "N"s. Write-ins welcome and all that blah-blah-blah. My vote went to Nouveaux, the best Def Leppard clones the Christian rock realm ever produced. And your pick would be...??

They were originally part of the poll, but when I had to narrow it down to 20 choices, I scratched them off, because I figured you'd be the only one who would vote for 'em. Their last album really hasn't grabbed me despite multiple listens...I never bother reaching for it anymore. Too busy listening to accessibly-sissified bands like Bullet For My Valentine.

Just for the record, I can do that with my hair. I think photographic proof is required to back up this claim...

Mmmmmmm...here are the "M"s. It should go without saying by now, but I'll say it anyway--write ins are welcome, because trying to please all people all the time is an exercise in futility. I gave my vote to Metallica. "St. Anger" aside, I like pretty much everything they've ever done, up to and including "Reload." Yeah, I said it, and I am not ashamed. OK, your turn...who ya like?

DEATH SENTENCE (Unrated) The few scenes inserted into this movie to make it "unrated" don't really add much to it, but that doesn't change the fact that this is one of the best revenge films of all time. Superbly & stylishly directed by James Wan (Saw), expertly acted by Kevin Bacon as the grieving/vigilante father, and packed with brutally bloody violence, this was one of my favorite flicks of 2007 and revisiting it on DVD, it has lost none of its impact.

Latest acquisition... Bullet For My Valentine: "Scream Aim Fire"

The number of allowed characters is actually a sliding scale from 500 to 1000 based on an evaluation of your previous comments, and how much value to the community they are. Note to self: make minimum lower.... Ouch. That's harsh. Hey, did I tell you that I finally scraped enough spare cash together to buy one CD and I decided to buy Crazy Lixx: "Loud Minority" instead of Rockarma: "Bring it!"? Oh that's very nice... I am very sad now. You started it.

The number of allowed characters is actually a sliding scale from 500 to 1000 based on an evaluation of your previous comments, and how much value to the community they are. Note to self: make minimum lower.... Ouch. That's harsh. Hey, did I tell you that I finally scraped enough spare cash together to buy one CD and I decided to buy Crazy Lixx: "Loud Minority" instead of Rockarma: "Bring it!"?

OK, since I was one of the ones who voiced my displeasure at the Spanish posts taking over the Comments Section, I thought it only fair that I go back and post there now that it has reverted to English-only. However, I was under the impression that we now had 1000 words for our comments, yet when I posted my comments for Jaded Reign, it only displayed the first 500 I wrote. Has this "1000 characters" function been activated yet, or are we still limited to 500? Senor Dan, help me, por favor. (Sorry, couldn't resist. )

Can you drive to upstate New York, convince my wife to let me go, drive me back to your place, pay for all my food/lodging, then drive me back home when the event is over? That'd be swell. Oh yeah, and bring me some free Rockarma & Farcry CDs. Thanks. You're da best.

Maybe it's not the popular or politically-correct stance, but I'm another one who got so tired of the Spanish comments dominating the Comments section that I simply stopped going there and pretty much stopped posting there as well. Sorry, but I refuse to wade through 25 Spanish posts to find one written in English. Maybe that makes me a lazy bastard, but that's the reality; because of the influx of Spanish posts in that section, that section has lost a reader (and a poster). I don't sweat it much, because the Message Board is still pretty much English-only, but sometimes when I stop to think about it, a burr gets under my saddle, as it seems to have with Delbert and a few others as well. And the translator...yeah, that thing's pretty much only good for comic relief. I mean no disrespect to the Spanish-speaking/writing fans of our beloved musical genre, but try logging onto a French- or Norwegian- or German-based melodic rock site and see if they'll accomodate you posting in Spanish...or even English for that matter. It's just not going to happen. You'll be informed that you have to learn whatever language the site is based on or you'll need to find a different site to frequent. Guess that makes Heavy Harmonies a bedrock of tolerance and accomodation... Anyway, that's my two cents' tossed into the pot. Now, to read this message in Spanish, please press "2."

Latest acquisition... Testament: "First Strike Still Deadly"

HATCHET (Unrated) The horror sites raved about this one. "The best slasher in the last ten years!" they proclaimed. Well, God help the slasher genre if that's true, because this was a disappointment for me. Maybe the whole campy/tongue-in-cheek thing just doesn't work for me anymore, because I found the characters in this movie irritating. Sure, some of the dialogue was amusing ("That sounds like about as much fun as a bag of dicks"), but not amusing enough to hold my interest the whole way, and that's saying something, because "the whole way" is only 84 min. Took over half the film for the kills to kick in... ...and the kills are the only place this flick shines. Bodies ripped in half, guts flying everywhere, geysers of blood, dismemberment, decapitations, power tool mayhem (not sure how there was power in the swamp, but go with it...), hatchets in the face, and more! Yep, when the movie finally got around to slashin', it did it up good an' messy. You also get at least 5 or 6 shots of topless girls, so all the horror cliches were present & accounted for. And the ending...ugh, don't even get me started. So weak. Bottom line, nothing I'll ever watch again, and unless you're willing to watch a whole movie for just a couple minutes of gore, nothing I recommend anyone else watch even once. But if you do, rent it, don't buy it. Wish I'd done that...

Oh man, I went into a wild panic to see how I'd possibly missed them on the list because they'd have my vote too... But they weren't there. Good one, Mark. Too bad, they're mine. Get stuffed. Mark has never been one of the smrt ones around here has he... Says the guy who apparently doesn't know that the word "smart" has an "a" in it...

Took me awhile, but I finally got around to it! Back by (un)popular demand are "the letter polls," and today's letter is "L." As always, write-ins welcome, because it's pretty much impossible to narrow down all the great "L" bands to just 20. My vote goes to Lillian Axe. "Love & War" is simply a stunner of a hard rock album that still gets tons of spin-time in my stereo. But enough about me...what about you?

Good one... Actually, I wasn't impressed, but that's OK, it was a Christmas gift, so it didn't cost me anything. I've got Testament: "First Strike Still Deadly" on the way, so we'll see if I like that any better. I don't like "Souls of Black" either. "First Strike..." is the re-recordings of all their early stuff. It sounds killer & definitely should be more your sort of thing... "Practice What You Preach" is the album you should probably get IMO... If he didn't like 'Souls' then I don't know if he'd like 'Practice'. I'd say that 'Low' and 'The Gathering' would be more his speed and maybe 'The Legacy' and 'New Order'. Dunno what it was about "Souls...." Just seemed like they didn't put their best effort into that one. I've heard some of the re-recorded tracks on "First Strike..." and they sounded pretty good. Hope to see it in my mailbox within the next day or two. And actually, yes, I do own (and like) "Practice What You Preach." That one and "Low" are the only two I currently own. "The Gathering" had some great tunes on it, but too many fillers to make it a keeper for me. As you can see, Testament is a hit-and-miss band for me; pretty much when I want a Testament fix, I just reach for "Low." Not sure they'll ever top that one.

Good one... Actually, I wasn't impressed, but that's OK, it was a Christmas gift, so it didn't cost me anything. I've got Testament: "First Strike Still Deadly" on the way, so we'll see if I like that any better.

I was going to say something smartass, like what makes you think people are actually PM'ing you? But then I realized that of course people are PM'ing you, you being such a cool guy and all, and realized I would look foolish to even insinuate that you are not popular, so I decided to keep my mouth shut. Well, except for this totally unnecessary and completely irrelevant post, that is...

Skid Row. Their first 2 CDs are still perfect examples of how to combine power/balls/aggression with melody.

Latest acquisitions... Testament: "Souls of Black" Jonah 33: "The Heart of War"

I always recognize a boot when it kicks me in the ass. I pay special attention to the leather, the stitching, the laces, and--most importantly--the owner of the foot inside the boot. You know, so I can return the favor tenfold. What's that? Not the kind of boot you were referring to? Ah, well, never mind then. As you were.

So am I!! I check every once in awhile to see if it has been created. I gotta get a life!!!! My choice will be Lilli......I'll wait....but they better crack the L list since they are my all time fav band. I pretty much only put together these polls at work when things aren't busy, and unfortunately (I work at a prison) things have been pretty busy lately, but rest assured, the polls are not forgotten and I hope to get the next one up this week, possibly even tomorrow (no promises, though). Regarding whether or not you need to get lives...uh, no comment. As for a band that starts with "Lilli" making the list...guess you'll just have to wait an' see, but the fact that a little album called "Love and War" is one of my all-time favorites hard rock CDs might give you a clue.

Sebastian Bach: "Angel Down" I'm cheating, 'cause I've spun this more than once (about 4 times, actually), but while I posted my thoughts in the Sebastian Back thread, I never put them here. As I said there, while this doesn't reach "Slave to the Grind" levels, it definitely kicks some major ass, though it leans more toward heavy metal territory than hard rock turf. The choruses, while still fairly catchy/memorable, aren't as big/anthemic as Skid Row, relying more on slamming riffs than commercial hooks. The more I read about this release (not just here, but elsewhere on the 'Net), it seems the headbangers are embracing it while the hard rockers are irritated that it's so ballsy/heavy/angry/screaming/etc. Me, I like it. And that's all that matters. To me, anyway.

Oh my God, man, it's official--you've gone deaf! Please seek professional help immediately!